A
admiral
أميرالبحار, amīr al-bihār commander of the seas
adobe
الطوب aṭ-ṭūb, the bricks
albacore
الباكورة al-bakūra, perhaps from bakūr, premature
albatross (or algatross)
الغطاس al-γaṭṭās (or al-ghaṭṭās), the diver
alchemy
الكيمياء al-alkīmiyā7, from Greek khēmia, khēmeia, art of transmuting metals[1]
alcohol
الغول - الكحول in the literature of late European alchemy, the quintessence of an earthly substance. See kohl in this list. The idea of "quintessences of earthly substances" and the use of "alcohol" to denote quintessences are developments in European alchemy in the 14th century. From the 1500s on, the denotation of "alcohol" narrowed down to "quintessence of wine" or "spirit of wine", i.e., ethanol, CH3CH2OH, as the term "alcool vini" (quintessence of wine) got shortened to "alcool" or "alcohol". The term alco(h)ol vini supplanted the original quinta essentia vini, 'fifth essence of wine'.[2][3]
alcove
قبة - طاقة al-qubba, the vault
alembic
الإنبيق al-anbiq, still (the distillation device), from Greek ambix, stem ambik-, cup
algebra
الجبر al-jabr, the restoring of missing parts. This word is reported to have entered Middle English in the sense of 'the setting of broken bones'. The modern mathematical sense comes from the title of a book, al-kitāb al-muxtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala, "The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing", by the 9th-century Muslim mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsa al-Xwārizmī. The appellation al-xwārizmī means literally "the Khwārizmian", referring to Khwārizm, now Khiva, in Uzbekistan. Another legacy of this mathematician is that his appellation gave rise to the word algorithm الخوارزمية.
algorism
[1] see algorithm in this list.
algorithm or algorism
al-xwārizmī, the Khwārizmian. Appellation of the Persian scientist, Muḥammad ibn Mūsa al-Xwārizmī, who wrote the first book on algebra. See algebra in this list.
alidade
عضادة , عِضَادة . A surveying instrument.
alizarin
from al-ʕaṣārah, the juice. A dye. العصارة
alkali
القلي from qalā, to fry, to roast. 'Alkali' originally meant a saline substance derived from the ashes of plants.
almanac
المناخal-manāx (or al-manākh), "the climate", possibly from Greek almenichiakon, calendar
alfalfa
al-fisfisa, fresh fodder [2]
alkanet
From the Arabic word الحنة '"al-hinna'"=the henna. [3]
amalgam
الملغم al-malgham. [4]
amber
amber/anbar, yellow [5]
aniline
نيلة - صبغ النيل al-nili, from Persian and Sanskrit
apricot
al-birquq
arsenal
دار الصناعة dār aṣ-ṣināʕa, house of manufacturing
artichoke
الخرشوف al-xurshūf or from ardi chawki meaning 'land thorn'
assassin
from حشاشين ḥashshāshīn, those who use hashish (cannabis resin).
attar
itr/utur, perfume,aroma. [6]
aubergine
from الباذنجان al-bādhinjān, from Persian bâdinjân ultimately from the Sanskrit vatin gana.
azimuth
السموت as-sumūt, the paths
B
barding (archaic term for horse armour)
bardaʿah, packsaddle -any of various pieces of defensive armor for a horse covering, from Persian.
benzoin
لبان جاوي labān jāwī, "frankincense of Java". Benzoin is an organic chemical solvent extracted from a resin of an Asian tree.
bezoar
bazahr, from Persian.
bonito
bainīth.
burnous/burnoose
برنوس burnūs, from Latin byrrhus
borax
بورق buraq, from Persian.
C
caliber
قالب qâlib, 'mould', possibly from Greek.[4]
camphor
كافور kafur. [7]
candy
قند qandi, possibly a loanword.
carat
qirat, from Greek
caraway
كراوية karāwiya
carmine
ultimately from Sanskrit krmi-ja. See 'kermes' below.
carob
خرّوب xarrūb, (1) locust; (2) carob bean
carrack
qarāqīr plural of qurqur
checkmate
shah māt, from Persian
chemistry
see alchemy in this list
cipher
صفر ṣifr, zero
civet
zaba’d [8]
coffee
قهوة qahwa, itself possibly from Kefa, Ethiopia, where the plant originated.
cotton
قُطْن quṭn
curcuma
From Arabic word kurkum =saffron, turmeric.[9]
D
divan
ديوان dīwān, from Persian.
dragoman
ترجمان tarjumān, from Aramaic turgemānā, in turn from Akkadian.[5]
E
elixir
الإكسير al-'iksīr, (1) philosopher's stone; (2) medicinal potion. From Greek xērion, powder for drying wounds
emir
أمير, amīr.
F
fustic
الفسطيط أو الفستيق fosṭeeṭ, ultimately from Greek πιστακη pistakē, pistachio tree[5]
G
garble
γarbala, sift; ultimately from Latin cribellum, sieve
gauze
qazz, in turn from Persian kazh (كژ) "raw silk".
gazelle
غزال ghazāl
genie
جني,jinny
gerbil
See jerboa in this list. The word "gerbil" is a European created diminutive of "jerboa", but the words refer to distinct species.
ghoul
غول ghūl
giraffe
زرافة zarāfa[6]
H
harem
حريم ḥarīm, forbidden thing or place
hashish
حشيش ḥashīsh, grass
hazard
الزهر az-zahr, chance, name of the pieces used in the game of 'nard,' or 'tawola.' It can also represent a type of flower.
henna
حنة ḥinna
I-J
jar
جرة jarrah, large earthen vase
jasmine
from French. jasmin, , from Arabic yas(a)min.[10]
jerboa
جربوع jarbūʕ. See also gerbil in this list.
K
kermes
قرمز qirmiz perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit krmi-ja, worm-produced
kohl
الكحل al-kuḥl, kohl. Powdered stibnite, used for millennia to decorate the eyes and as an eye medicine. (Stibnite is an ore of the element antimony.)
L
lacquer
lakk.
lilac
from Arabic lilak, from Pers. lilak, variant of nilak "bluish," from nil "indigo" [11]
lime
Arabic limah "citrus fruit," a back-formation or a collective noun from limun "lemon"[12]
loofah
from the Egyptian Arabic word lūfa.
lute
العود al-ʕūd, "the oud", a forerunner of the guitar.
M
macrame
miqrama, embroidered veil
magazine
maxāzin, (or makhāzin), storehouses,
mascara
uncertain origin; possibly from maskhara "buffoon" or from an unknown language. In modern Arabic maskhara means to ridicule
massage
uncertain whether ultimately from either Arabic massa, to stroke, or from Latin massa, dough
mattress
مطرح matrah, (1) spot where something is thrown down; (2) mat, cushion
mocha
مخا al-muxā (or al-mukhā), city of Mocha, Yemen
mohair
مخير muxayyar, having the choice
monsoon
موسم mawsim, season
mummy
موميا mūmiyyā, embalmed corpse (ultimately from Persian).
muslin
derived from the name of the Iraqi city of Mosul, where cotton fabric was manufactured
N
nadir
نظير naẓīr, parallel or counterpart
nucha (anatomical term for 'nape of the neck')
نخاع ، منخع , nape of the neck. Via Medieval Latin, from Arabic nuḫā', marrow, spinal cord.[7]
nunation
from the Arabic name of the 'n' sound. Medical term: overly frequent or abnormal use (as in stammering) of the sound of the letter n.
O
orange
From Arabic word naranj, from Sanskrit via Persian.
P
popinjay
ببفا babaγā Parrot.
Q
qat / khat
قات kat The plant Catha edulis.
R
racquet or 'racket'
راحة rāḥah, palm of the hand
realgar
rahj al-ghar,[5] a mineral
ream (quantity of sheets of paper)
رزمة rizma, bale, bundle
roc
rukhkh, possibly from Persian.
S
safari
from Swahili safari, journey, in turn from Arabic safar. [13]
safflower
aṣfar, yellow.
saffron
زعفران zaʕfarān (or za9farān), species of crocus plant bearing orange stigmas and purple flowers.
sash
شاش shāsh, turban of muslin. See muslin in this list.
sequin
sikka, die, coin
sherbet, sorbet, shrub, syrup
شراب sharāb, a drink
soda
perhaps from suwwāda, suwayd, or suwayda, a species of plant
sofa
ṣuffa, stone ledge
sugar
sukkar, sugar, ultimately from Sanskrit [14]
sumac
summāq, from Aramaic.
T
tabby (fabric)
عتابي ʕattābī (9attābī), deriv. of (al-)ʕattābiyya, quarter of Baghdad where watered silk was first made, named after a prince, ʕattāb
tahini
طحين ṭaḥīn, flour, which derives from the Arabic verb for "grind"
talc
طلق ṭalq, from Persian.
tamarind
تمر هندي tamr-hindī, date of India
tare
tarḥa, a discard (something discarded)[5]
tariff
تعريفة taʕrīfa (or ta9rīfa), act of making known; notification
tazza
طشت ṭašt, round, shallow, drinking cup made of metal. Amer. Heritage Dict.
typhoon
a blend of Arabic Ṭūfān (ultimately from Greek) and the completely independent Cantonese word 'Taaîfung'. Amer. Heritage Dict.
U-Z
zenith
سمت الرأس samt ar-ra's, zenith, vertex
zero
صفر sifr, cipher, zero.
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